California Drug Threat Assessment Update

Document ID: 2002-S0387CCA-001

Archived on: January 1, 2006.
This document may contain
dated information. It remains available to provide
access to historical materials.

This report is a brief update to the three California Drug threat
assessments, which are strategic assessments of the status and outlook
of the drug threat to California.
Analytical judgment determined the threat posed by each drug type or
category, taking into account the most current quantitative and
qualitative information on availability, demand, production or
cultivation, transportation, and distribution, as well as the effects of a
particular drug on abusers and society as a whole. While NDIC sought to
incorporate the latest available information, a time lag often exists
between collection and publication of data. NDIC anticipates that this
update will be
useful to policymakers, law enforcement personnel, and treatment providers
at the federal, state, and local levels.

The California
Northern and Eastern Districts Drug
Threat Assessment was produced in January 2001, the California
Central District Drug
Threat Assessment in May 2001, and the California Southern
District Drug
Threat Assessment in December 2000. They are available on
NDIC's web site www.usdoj.gov/ndic
or by contacting the NDIC dissemination line at 814-532-4541.

Your questions, comments, and suggestions for future
subjects are welcome at any time. Addresses are
provided at the end of the page.

List of Tables

California is one of the most active drug smuggling and production areas in
the United States. The state's vast transportation infrastructure and its
proximity to both Mexico and the Pacific Ocean are conducive to drug
trafficking, particularly the movement of large quantities of methamphetamine,
cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and other dangerous drugs to drug markets within and
outside California. Southern California, primarily Los Angeles, is a national
level transportation hub and distribution center for illicit drugs. As a result,
all drugs of abuse are readily available in the state.

Methamphetamine poses the most significant drug threat to California. Cocaine
and heroin are prevalent throughout the state, and prices and purity levels for
each are relatively stable. Marijuana is the most readily available and widely
abused drug. Other dangerous drugs such as MDMA and GHB are emerging threats
throughout the state.